Morrissey 25 Live

This year, after playing a sold-out show at Staples Center arena in LA, Morrissey performed a far more intimate show at the tiny Hollywood High School auditorium. The show sold out in less than a minute, but fortunately for fans, the concert was captured in HD for a DVD and Blu-ray release that just hit stores.

"Morrissey Live 25" celebrates the former Smiths' lead singer's 25 years as a solo performer and features 14 of those solo tunes along with five Smiths classics.

The flamboyant singer puts on a good show with lots of his trademark angst, and is accompanied by a tight and talented band. Morrissey's voice is strong, he's in good shape, and he still has rock star-quality hair and plenty of dramatic frontman flourishes. And the shirts he wears in the show are to die for.

Song highlights include "You're the One for Me, Fatty," "Every Day is Like Sunday," "Still Ill" and "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side."

The cinematography and camerawork in the Blu-ray are impressive. Crisp, clean and colorful, the disc features a multitude of camera angles and plenty of impressive lighting. Equally important, the sound is also of a high caliber, none of the muffled noise frequently found on live discs.

The only weak spot in the show is when Mozza hands the mic to people in the crowd to sing his praises as a new Messiah of sorts. Oddly, the aloof singer has always seemed to crave this type of fan adulation, although a bit of his humanity does seep out when he invites a young boy named Devon on-stage and holds him while singing to the crowd.

As with all things Morrissey, sometimes there is a sameness to some of the songs musically. Also, it's tough to take a rich, famous, handsome rock star's lyrics seriously when they're always filled with such sadness, darkness and despair. You can't help but wonder how authentic the emotions are. It's like listening to Chris Isaac's frequent songs about heartbreak and lost love, when you know the guy could probably have the best sex life on the planet.

Extras in the disc include footage of four recent songs being recorded in the studio, some behind the stage footage of the Hollywood High show, and Russell Brand talking about introducing the singer that night.

"Morrissey 25 Live" would likely make a perfect holiday gift for the Morrissey fan on your shopping list.

"Morrissey 25 Live"
Blu-ray
$19.99
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